After the Game

Well, how was the Superbowl? Did you watch it on a really really big screen? Did your team win? How were the ads? Do you have a favorite? How was the party food? The company?

It's a challenge to think about the other side of major sports events, in particular, the rise in domestic violence calls during the game, sex trafficking in host cities, and the associated crimes that occur. However, overall crime is lower during the Superbowl because... it could be that people are home instead of out. They're not sure yet.

What happens after the game? In the case of sex trafficking, once demand drops, the merchants of modern-day slavery and sellers of sex move on to the next most valuable market they can find.

The rest of us? We clean up after the party while modern-day gladiators are recovering from being pummeled on the field. Some of us go back to the work of creating and sustaining peace.

Peace at home (this is the absence of abusive thoughts feelings, and actions) is the beginning of peace in the neighborhood. Notice the qualifier is "abusive"--this means violent, injurious, judgmental, mean.

Disagreements and conflict are not necessarily antithetical to peace. Peace inside means more kind, caring, thoughts. Peace inside leads to peace outside, and everyone can up their game--especially after a major sports competition!